With the weather being a bit too dreary today, I decided that a hearty dinner was in order. Today's menu was for garlic thyme mushroom chicken pasta. To begin, here's what you'll need:

-Extra virgin olive oil
-3 Chicken breasts (boneless/skinless pounded out to 1/4")
-8 oz Cremini mushrooms (4 cups)
-Linguine
-1 clove of garlic (minced)
-1 Lemon (zested and juiced)
-1 tsp thyme leaves (about 3-4 sprigs)
-1 tsp salt
-Parsley
-Parmesan cheese
-Flour (seasoned with salt and pepper)
-1/3 cup white wine
-Black pepper

To begin, bring a pot of water to a boil, add a good amount of salt, and then begin to cook your linguine (usually takes about 8-10 minutes on my stove). Following this, heat up a pan of EVOO with some minced garlic. Next, dredge your chicken breasts in the seasoned flour and start to cook the chicken in the pan. Once it's cooked through, remove the chicken to a plate. Now take the sliced mushrooms and start to saute them in the pan.

As they cook, add in the thyme leaves and lemon (zest and juice) to the pan and toss the mushrooms to coat. After they've cooked down a bit, deglaze the pan with a bit of white wine. Slice the chicken breasts on a bias. Let the mushrooms cook for about a minute later and then return the chicken to the pan, tossing to let all the flavors combine.

Once your pasta has cooked to your desired texture (mmm, al dente), drain and put back in the pot to keep warm. Chop up a handful of parsley, keeping some to the side for garnish later. Add some of the parsley to the pan and stir about. To plate up, place some linguine onto a plate and then pile on the mushrooms and chicken, being sure to pour some of the sauce from the pan over it all. Garnish with some of the leftover parsley for some 'gratuitous green' and shave some Parmesan cheese to add a final bit of richness.

The cooked mushrooms, with the lemony thyme, give off such wonderful flavors for the chicken to soak up. This meal will warm you up and provide quite a hearty dinner on any gray and dreary day. The kitchen will be closing early tonight, so best to get your requests in early. Care to place an order?